en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2412955 Comments by Onelove http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/what-are-your-thoughts-on-everything-we-saw-and-heard-in-lecture-about-native-americans-119-blog/#IDComment143277643 I never gave a second thought to the lives of Native Americans before this lecture, even though I have been taught the history and struggle of the Natives. I have been told the story of the Trail of Tears, I have learned about the mass genocide Europeans brought over the seas to the Americas that slayed many natives. It was in fact disease that killed most Natives, not guns; however, that does not drive from the fact that it was caused by the migration of Europeans to the lands we call America today. Ever since the Americas were discovered, the Natives were treated poorly. They were taken advantage of due to their lack of general knowledge of the world and pushed aside when needed. Europeans many times made peace with Natives to avoid conflict, but once they needed to, they would fight them to remove them from their land. One of the worst massacres and mistreatment to the Natives was the Trail of Tears. This was a large forced movement of many Native Americans in the southern area of the United States westward. The natives were not removed kindly. They were forced at gunpoint by people on horses to move and continue moving until they made it to the next stop or died along the trail. Children and older natives who fallen behind were either left to die or killed. Many also died of disease from becoming weak. United Statsians did not give any concern to natives, instead they just moved them and places them were no one wanted to live so they were not in the way. Today we give them sovereignty as individual nations of tribes, but that is not enough. I had little knowledge of their suffering today. I know that there is some poverty in native regions, but I never thought of how bad it could be. I never realized how poor most people are. I have seen videos of natives living, but they looked somewhat comfortable and had no complaints, but I have learned how our school like to sugar coat and manipulate things to make them seem much better than they are. I was very surprised at the suicide rate of natives. Hearing it now, I can say I understand why they feel that way. It hurts to know that a people feel worthless and useless, but given their history of being pushed around as a people, forgotten about, and completely abandoned, I cannot blame them. How is a people supposed to feel when they are slaughtered by foreigners, pushed aside, and forgotten about? No one talks about their struggle. We teach it in our history classes, but we do not care to emphasize the severity of the genocide that was committed against these people. I feel we should remember those who's blood was spilled needlessly for this country, respect their deaths, and learn from these mistakes ever we face something like this again. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:04:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/what-are-your-thoughts-on-everything-we-saw-and-heard-in-lecture-about-native-americans-119-blog/#IDComment143277643 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/do-you-agree-with-foreign-aids-use-of-pictures-of-children-119-blog/#IDComment141098157 I am, as some have mentioned, split 50/50 about this issue. On one side, I agree with Ernso. Personally, if someone came to my country and took pictures of poor children and people in poverty just to show them in their country, I would feel insulted and angry. They never asked to come to the country to take pictures of poor people and spread them around their country. By doing that, they would make my country look like a sea of poverty, rubble, disease, hunger, and sadness. These advertisements always show children who wear old, dirty, ragged clothing and are very skinny, sometimes to the point that bones show through, and most of all depict the child as a "parent" roll and usually show them crying at some point. Even though this may exists, this is not the entire country. Ernso said his people are happy. If you asked the average Hatian if they are happy in life, he said they would proudly answer yes they are. Though they may not be living in the same standards as we Americans are due to lack of resources, they are happy in life, even happier than some Americans are! Though they may be in poverty, they are not sitting down crying everyday wishing and praying they had a different life. They are making due with what they have, adapting, and making avery comfortable life for themselves. To be happy in life does not mean you have to have money. As they say "Money doesn't buy happiness" and happiness doesn't need money. In that respect, I agree with Ernso. Not everyone lives in desperate poverty and even fewer live day to day in sadness and sickness. On the other hand I would disagree with Ernso because I feel these people mean no harm. They may be coming in to take pictures of those in poverty, but the reason is because they want to help them. They want to show people that there are children who are living like this. Though it may not be the entire country, it is sad enough that any children are in this situation. So they want to spread the word and let others know that children can and do suffer this much. They just want to get help for those who do suffer, or for the entire country to help them help themselves. This is their effort, their way in which they want to help solve the problem. Although it is not the most beautiful and gracious way of doing it, it is one of the best ways to get the message out fast to many people. Not everyone will want to donate, but they hope those few who can and will see the ads and donate to help their cause. So it is both a way to make a country look bad and make the people look like they are suffering more than they are, but at the same time it is an easy way to let people know this problem, though it may be smaller scale than they make it, exists and how they can help if they would like. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 21:57:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/do-you-agree-with-foreign-aids-use-of-pictures-of-children-119-blog/#IDComment141098157 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/what-was-more-enlightening-the-information-on-your-own-sex-or-the-opposite-sex-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment139262462 I definitely learned a few things about both my gender, male, and the female gender. I realized the obvious about us guys: easy to turn on, simple to please, just aiming for penetration and the orgasm and then done. We like to get to the point, do it, and be done. I also realized, which I think most women don't, that we guys are fertile everyday whereas they are only once every 25-30 days, which is apparently not fun for them either. So when I heard the topic "needy penis" I could only help but think "FINALLY SOMEONE REALIZES!" But this lecture didn't turn out to what I thought it was going to be. Instead it delved into the aspects that us men shape the sexual world to what we imagine and what we see is perfect while disregarding how or what the woman, the partner of the situation, feels or wants. I knew that sex scenes are designed more toward the "model male sexual experience"(for some), however I never realized that love scenes in movies are also designed to represent this as well. That surprised me, made me realize that. I also never realized that media really pushes the woman to be dressed up while the dude is in comfortable clothing. I also never realized how little change goes through a man sexually after puberty. So the penis, unlike the vagina, is only ever used for one thing, sex. I learned a bit more about women. Besides taking a lot longer and needing different methods than a man to become aroused, I really didn't know much about the woman's sexual world. I never really thought about all the things the vagina has to do, and after realizing that, I can definitely say I understand why women may feel like they just don't want to do anything with it that day. I never realized that the woman go through so many changes. From being a teenage and young adult to having children and becoming an adult and moving into older age and going through menopause, it's understandable that women have a fluctuating libido. The biggest thing I learned about is how the masculine world influences how women dress and act. The masculine influence can be seen every night at any bar or club. Girls in high heels can't be comfortable, or outside in the cold wearing nothing but a tiny dress and a few straps for a top. They do that anyway so they are seen, so they can attract a man. But why? Why would a girl dress like that if it wasn't at all enjoyable for them either. So at the same time that this is a masculine molded world, women conform because they want to be seen by those men. In a more femanin world, I am not sure if they men would be dressed much differently, but the women sure would not be wearing anything as uncomfortable as high heels. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 02:04:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/what-was-more-enlightening-the-information-on-your-own-sex-or-the-opposite-sex-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment139262462 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-stage-are-you-in-119-blog/#IDComment137565319 (Part 2) Now I feel that even though I can not change the past and heal those who have hurt during those times, I can try to help others today who are suffering. I can do something to make up for the past pains my white ancestors have caused. I feel today that we should never look at each other and judge based on skin. We are all United Statesians and we are all in this country together. Why should we put down one of our people when this country belongs to all of us? We all support it, so wouldn't we want all our supports to be strong? Hell, I don't even understand what defines me as "white" and why "white" is "better," or even what "being white" means. I'm afraid I have not answered your question as I am not sure what stage I am in myself. I realize I have felt pain and sorrow for those who have suffered in the past. I am not angry at the people for complaining about how we treated and still treat them today. What I am angry is that I am looked at as being "white" and may automatically be judged by them because I am "white." I feel we are all human, we are all equal. We are all one race, the human race. There is suffering out there, and whether you are white, black, Hispanic, Asian, it doesn't matter. We all feel pain, we all feel joy. I feel we should all feel joy all the time, but that is obviously an impossibly realization. I don't want to say I am a humanitarian because I do not have the resources to contribute much help, but I realize that help and action is needed. I don't want to say I am a pseudo-communitarian because I don't feel I am looking to minorities only to find what they need, although they should know more than most because they face these problems and may know a solution. All I can say is I am in the stage where I realize this world is rough and that we are all human. I know no one of us is better than the next. I have no problems being around people of race, and if THEY are comfortable enough to, I would gladly talk racial issues and solutions with anyone. I am comfortable in my own skin, I just worry about offending others. Thanks for reading my book. P.S. Sorry for referring to minorities as "them." We are all "us" in this world, at least in my eyes. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:30:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-stage-are-you-in-119-blog/#IDComment137565319 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-stage-are-you-in-119-blog/#IDComment137565250 (Part 1) I love this question. I have been asking myself this same question ever since I found out about the stages. (Sam has achieved his goal of making me think differently and question things.) I am a white male, 26 years old. Before coming to Penn State, I lived in a small white rural patch town of no more than 50 white families. The majority of my grade school years were spent in mostly white schools. I know I was in the preawakening stage for most of my younger years; I realized there were people of other color when I was young, but I never thought anything of it for awhile. In high school, I had to transfer to another school that was much bigger and more diverse, especially in the Hispanic population. I would say that is where I was somewhat awakened, but rather rudely by some Hispanics. I will admit that for a time, I had anger against Hispanics more so than anything, but that was because of an incident that incited anger toward one, which in turn, being a young foolish white kid at the time, made me hate all Hispanics from that city, but not all in general. I realized quickly how foolish that outlook was because at the same time I knew Hispanics in the city that were awesome, kind people. So I guess for the majority of my life I lived in the awakened stage. I realized there were people of color, but I felt no ill will toward them, and sometimes even wanted to get to know more because they were different. (Gets tiring looking at all these white faces!) When I came to Penn State, I was still in that awakened stage. I spent most my time in that stage until Soc 119. It wasn't until I was put to light a lot of the hardships that United States minorities face everyday, even as a child! I never realized that segregation, though not monitored by law, still exists. Even in the city school I went to, it did not seem segregated between white and Hispanic students, but it could have been and I did not take notice. Also seeing the video where the young black children were to pick between white and black dolls made me really wake up and realize this is happening. It is then I started asking why do these people feel this way? I think that is when I first looked at the minorities, especially black people, and realized that racism has affected them so much and that they are not complaining about the fact that their ancestors were slaves (well most) and instead are just demanding an equal today. I also never truly thought how a Native American alive today is supposed to feel after what has happened to their people and land. We (white European settlers) took their land and either killed them with gun or disease or forced them to march westward to small, unlivable reservations. I never really took a second thought to these people that we (as a white society) have pushed around just so that we can be happy. I never thought to think to put myself in their shoes. It is a scary thought to think that someone could come to my house and force me into a huge crowd and force me to march at gunpoint to a small new plot of land thousands of miles away and force me to live there or die. This made me both sad for them and angry at my own people. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:30:28 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-stage-are-you-in-119-blog/#IDComment137565250 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-is-your-opinion-of-the-video-119-blog/#IDComment137557165 Even though I am a white male, I would like to give my two cents on this question. Saying that, I would have to agree with Sam that this video is one of the most disturbing videos I've ever seen. It is disturbing seeing that at such a young age, somehow, in some way, young black children are taught or feel an instinct that drives them to pick the white doll over the black doll if asked "which one would you rather play with" or "which one is 'good'" and the black doll when asked "which one is 'bad.'" I was glad to see that some black males picked the black doll as the "good" baby, even though there is no "good" or "bad" baby, especially based strictly on skin color. In all seriousness, as a white male, I had no clue that this was even happening in black children's' childhoods. I would have never even thought that they would consider themselves "bad," whatever that even means. How can a child believe that he is "bad" at such a young age? I've had some silly beliefs as a child myself, and I know that they can manifest themselves inside and mature into a nasty weed that roots itself deep inside one's soul, one's character and affects them the rest of their lives. I have no idea how this could make someone feel when they mature. I never thought that the majority of black women feel that they are "bad" at such a young age and let it affect them as they grow older. I know, too, that these feelings are so hard to get rid of once a person has matured. I struggle everyday with the silly beliefs I had as a child about myself. My heart goes out to those girls who feel that way, especially the girl at the end of the video. To watch that young girl pick the "good" doll to be white, the "bad" doll to be black, and then when asked which doll are you, to look at the dolls, realize she is not white, and struggle to push the black doll forward, was very disturbing and painful. I have no shame to say that it made me tear a little to see that someone thinks of themselves in such a manner at such a young age. The pain in her eyes and the sadness in her face of the realization of what her thought process was in her head was too much. If she was not in the awakening stage yet, she was just shoved into it. I personally feel she was not yet at that stage until that second when she realized "I am the 'bad' baby. I am black like this baby. That must mean I am 'bad.'" No one, especially a young child, should have that painful realization of how they think of themselves. If I could give one piece of advice to all the black women out there or anyone struggling with something they were made to believe when they were young but is not correct at all but still affects their life: Let go and open your eyes to today. See that things are different from when you were young. See that you have loving friends and family who would never feel that you were "bad" based on anything else than say your personality. I mean I can't say a white, black, brown, pink, orange, tan, green, blue, purple, or whatever damn color person is good if they go out and commit crimes or do not help their community. Whether you are "good" or "bad" is not based on your skin color, it's based off of who you are as a person. So please, realize that in life, you are not a bad person if you have made it this far. Yes it will be a struggle, but you are not the only one feeling that way either. Others have felt this way and overcome, and so can you! Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:45:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-is-your-opinion-of-the-video-119-blog/#IDComment137557165 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment130763602 I could see why we would be hard on our own race. The strive to achieve is both a personal and group effort and goal. Each "race" or "group" always wants to see themselves on top. If there is a weak chain in the link, people of the same race tend to view the people falling behind more negatively or harsher because they are not of the same level as the rest and may seem less respectable or established as others among the race. People who are successful tend to not associate themselves with those of lower class, despite their race, so those who are better off than the less fortunate may do the same, despite their race. Seeing Tammy's situation does not surprise me because I have seen families in her situation, but not as severe as her. I know that there is poverty amongst white people because I am from a small white rural town and my family fits into the poverty range. My family is not as bad off as Tammy, however they share the attitude that you must earn what you have. My grandparents were on welfare for a time, but my grandfather is not proud of that. I am not sure exactly why white people feel that welfare is a bad thing to have, but it's instituted to help those who are in poverty. I feel that is someone who refuses to accept the help of welfare-- especially if they are in a situation like Tammy's-- then they accept where they are and there is not much you can feel for them; however, it is difficult not to feel compassion for her situation. Anyone who walks 10 miles one way to work in the rain to clean toilets deserves better than what she has. She has shown that she works hard for what she has, but she refuses welfare because of her pride in herself and her race. I feel the reason she refuses help from welfare is because she refuses to admit she needs help as a white person. It is may be easier for someone not of white race to claim the help offered by the government because they have reasons, while those who are of the white race will be looked down upon, even by their own race, because there are not so obvious reasons they are in poverty. The help for everyone who is in poverty exists as welfare, and if someone is reluctant to accept it, what else can I do to help them? I would help anyone who is in poverty. It is not a fun or good thing to be living in poverty. There are programs that exists, such as Welfare, to help those in poverty. There is no shame in accepting this help because this is the way, as Americans, that we help those who live in this country in poverty. Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:39:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment130763602 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment128973350 The way we live in America is both in luxury and ignorance. The majority of America lives comfortably, but most people live in ignorance of the problems outside of America, some by choice while others just uninformed. Even people living in poverty in the United States live comfortably compared to those living in poverty in other countries, but I doubt they feel that way. The average American does not live in poverty. Most Americans live in houses or apartments in a climate controlled area. Just having shelter is a luxury most people take for granted, let alone the ability to control the climate said area. In most poorer countries, it is a privilege to own a small room for a home which sometimes many family members will share. These houses don't have any luxuries that are to be had in much richer countries such as heat and air conditioning. Families in those countries do not think about this. They are happy with what they have, a house, and don't enjoy or have the privilege to take for granted the luxuries we have in America. Poor people in America also have luxuries they can enjoy that other countries cannot provide. America has organizations that hold or sponsor assistance programs such as soup shops, clothing collections, and housing assistance to aid in housing those who need it, like children. Most, if not all, poorer countries can not afford to hold such charities as they are already struggling. They have no surplus to hand down to those who are needy. Most Americans choose to live in ignorance because we have come accustomed to such an easy life that we forget or choose to be ignorant of the hardships of others' lives in different countries. Instead the average American life is focused on themselves and their happiness, which is perfectly OK as we have the right to pursue happiness. But we should, as a nation, recognize the problem exists and attempt to fix it; however, we have to keep in mind that we have our own problems as well. We should, as a world, recognize the struggle of poorer nations and help those in need, but things seems to never go that way. Instead those countries are taken advantage of and sometimes enslaved for other countries or even by their own people at gun point. It is difficult and expensive to help these countries as well. The effort involved would cost millions of dollars, which is why the only way this would be solved is by assistance from all other nations. Poverty is not a problem that only the United States can solve, it needs the focus of many nations to be able to provide support at a manageable cost. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:59:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment128973350 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127475077 I am a firm believer in the half and half split between freewill and determinism. I feel that no one's life can be driven or guided purely on freewill or determinism. There are times in our lives that we need to make choices for ourselves or events happen that are far beyond our control. I speak from experience in my life because it has been guided by both. The life I was born into is one of white poverty. I had a wonderful home, lived in a beautiful rural small patch town, and my family lived comfortably; however, we had little to no extra spending money. This caused me to experience few vacations and did not allow me to see the world as much as it seems many other students of Penn State have done. Also my grandfather was a very strong, driven, workaholic who worked very hard both professional and at home maintaining the house he and his wife lived in. He always made me help him and learn how to do different things. He also showed me how to push myself to get a job done. I feel that the area I come from and way I was raised has helped me develop a strong drive to strive and achieve in life. I was very close to my grandmother when I was growing up. Right before graduated high school, she passed away. My grandparents lived in a large home, too large for a single person, so when she died my grandfather asked my mother and me to move in. I wanted a one year break before continuing my education, but I wasn't even decided on college or tech school yet. After moving into the house, my mind became distracted with digital entertainment and helping maintain the house. This influenced me to extend my one year break and forget about any plans of going to college. After two years, my cousin Corey invited me to Harrisburg. While there, he took me around the Penn State campus, and that helped me decide I wanted to go to college. Later, one day I woke up and realized I had done nothing with my life for a few years and it was time to start. So I made the decision to register at Penn State Hazleton, and here I am today at Penn State University Park. I feel that the determinism helped me develop the drive and determination I have to achieve, but at the same time helped delay me from continuing my life. Her passing caused me to move into a home that needed work to maintain it. I used that as an excuse and made a choice to become lazy and do nothing but whatever I wanted to when I wasn't working. After I visited Penn State, I feel I made the choice to stop doing nothing in life and continue my education. I have also faced other determinism challenges at Penn State. During the Spring of '09, my liver suddenly started to fail and caused me to drop out that semester. After a summer and fall semester to recover, I made the choice to return to Penn State and again here I am. Even if determination throws you a bad card, it is up to your freewill to recover and fight on. We are all human, and capable of doing amazing things, no matter what hand is dealt to us. It is based on our free will how far and hard we choose to fight for what we want. Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:46:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127475077 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124467696 Why do we associate ourselves with people of the same race and ethnicity as ourselves, especially those of foreign background? The best answer I can think of is one that is simple and shallow: appearance. Before I answer this, I want to ask this: Why do we hang out with those who share similar interests as ourself? The answer is obvious: they are similar and share common interests. We like to surround ourselves with familiar things and people with similar interests, it is a natural instinct. Now ask yourself, are most of them the same skin color or race as yourself? Some may say no, but I am sure the majority of people would say yes. This is because we associate ourselves with those of similar culture as ourselves. So why would those foreign to America hang out with those who come from a similar country as themselves? They are new to the United States and seeing those who do not appear similar to themselves have a completely different culture. Most people are shy, especially when they are outside of their comfort zones. Being in a new country, away from family and anyone they knew, it may instinctively cause them to seek out people who appear similar to themselves. It may remind them of home and they may share the same culture and interests. Generally someone who is of the same race and culture would greet a stranger more comfortably than that of someone outside their race and culture. So they tend to come together and form their own cliques. They may become comfortable with their group and either may make no attempt to socialize with other races and people or may be alright with not expanding outside their comfort zone. Some people may be afraid of those who have natural prejudices against their race. Though they are not a tremendous threat, the existence of prejudice groups such as the Ku Klux Klan may incite some fear in certain people and add to their fear of interacting with other races, mainly white people. I believe in all reality it is centered around one's comfort zone. It is so easy to see someone of the same race and greet them and get to know them. Someone needs to break the ice, and from that second on we view each other as humans because we are past the visual stage. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 03:45:25 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124467696 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-dont-we-know/#IDComment122833262 Your question is "Why don't we know?" however I'd like to change it to "Why don't we take action?" I feel as though it is not a matter of not knowing so much as a matter of "does it benefit us to ignore this problem?" Everywhere you look in America, there are advertisements for sponsoring children or making donations, either domestic or foreign, especially on TV. Celebrities, when they do help, try to make sure everyone in America knows what they are doing and how they are helping, so I doubt the majority of America is ignorant to the existence of these problems. We try to help other countries, but fact of the matter is that there are not enough resources to help everyone. It is a sad, but too true fact that we have limited manpower and resources. Sadly we live in a very imperfect, unfair reality. So why don't we take action against poverty? There are many people all over the world who starve due to lack of food. In the past, back in the days of the Dust Bowl, the government passed laws that forced farmers not to use parts of their fields to grow crops for multiple reasons, one being to prevent a massive surplus of crop in America. Why would we do that even when we have starvation in our own country? If we have the techniques, such as crop rotation, and the technology, why force farmers not to grow? Instead we could donate these surplus crops and help lower world hunger. This proposes a new problem: How will we get it there and who's going to pay? The crop would need to be frozen and transported to our boarders. Next it would need to be flown to its destination, and then finally distributed amongst the populous. This process is timely and costs a lot of money, and how America stands right now, we can't really acquire more debt. The second issue mentioned related to cheap labor. I am sure if you poll American adults, most would tell you they know what a sweatshop is. They may not know the severity of a sweatshop, I know I don't, but they know they exist and are cheap labor. Businesses are becoming more dependent on other countries to provide labor, but why? We know that other countries use slavery and cheap labor such as sweatshops, but CEOs don't care. Why would they let this happen? CEOs care only about one thing, money. If you haven't immersed yourself into the business world enough yet, then you may be naive to think they do care about a human being's wellness as you may. Why did our forefathers use slaves? Because it was legal, easy, cheap labor. Why don't companies employ people to make clothing here? Because we expect more than a dollar a day to work. If a CEO can save and make more money, they will do it. It may seem morally wrong to pay the country providing the cheap labor, however the CEO feels he is doing nothing wrong. He is just financing his product's production. How the product is made is not their moral responsibility. It is clear that they are supporting cheap labor. One of the largest, ugliest, most gruesome examples of slave labor is blood diamonds. Sierra Leone's civil war was funded by the blood of many a slave who harvested diamonds which were sold US diamond companies. Those funds made were then spent on weapons and drugs to enslave more and more of Sierra Leone. It is sad that it takes torment, suffering, death, and war of an entire country before we as a society finally make a stand and say no more. Does it really take the enslavement of an entire country before we finally decide to take action against cheap and free labor? Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:45:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-dont-we-know/#IDComment122833262 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cp%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122386973 Just chillin' in mah soc 119 class mon! Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:41:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cp%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122386973